A Very Special Delivery
by Kristen3
Summary: Sequel/companion to "Love Was Always All Around." Mary is now married and ready to give birth to her first child. It's a new and scary situation for her, but luckily, friends are always around.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This idea came from watching a rerun of "Mary Midwife." I know I'm compressing a lot of time into these first few paragraphs, but this was the best way I could think of to do it. Also, I might be taking a bit of liberty with Mary giving birth in MN, but I wanted at least some of her friends there. Anyway, please do R&R, and I hope to have the rest up soon!

Mary could hardly believe this day was here. After she introduced Congressman Steven Cronin to her WJM family, their relationship quickly grew more serious. Before she knew it, she was wearing an engagement ring and planning a wedding. Because of her history with a previous engagement, she decided to get plans into motion as soon as possible. Rhoda was a great help in getting everything together. But now, only a few months later, Mary found herself pregnant. They hadn't even thought about trying, and yet here they were.

At first, Mary thought her cycle had become irregular due to the stress of her job, and moving back to Minnesota. Once again, thanks to Rhoda, she visited the doctor. One test confirmed it. The idea of having a baby both scared and thrilled her. Of course, there was a flurry of telephone calls as she informed her friends. Everyone reassured her she would of course be a great mom. Mary was grateful for the support, but she privately wondered if they were only saying that to be polite. Georgette and Rhoda threw a baby shower, and most of the baby items were acquired in no time.

The nine months of her pregnancy went much quicker than Mary expected. At her last doctor's appointment, she was told the baby could come any day now. Steven immediately ordered her to stay in bed until the baby came. He would not take chances with their firstborn. Suddenly, a contraction hit, and they rushed to the hospital. "This is happening too fast," Mary said. "I'm not ready!"

"Well, apparently, our baby feels differently," Steven replied as she was being wheeled into the maternity ward. "I know this is scary, but you're going to be fine. Trust me." He knew all too well how Mary could be when she got emotional. He'd seen her begin to stammer uncontrollably, and knew such a thing would only make matters worse now.

Somehow, Mary managed to regain control. But then another thought hit her. "Where's Rhoda? I forgot to call her! She's my best friend, and I didn't even think about her till now!"

"Relax," Steven said. "I called her right before we left. She's on her way, and I think she said something about calling Georgette too."

"OK," Mary said. The mention of Ted Baxter's wife brought back a very vivid memory. Years ago, she and Lou Grant had helped to deliver Ted and Georgette's baby. It happened during one of Mary's infamous dinner parties. That one, at least, had a happy ending.

In another part of the hospital, things were not quite so happy. "I don't see why we have to be here. Mary hasn't even had the baby yet!"

Georgette sighed. "Mary is our friend, and I want to be there for her." She loved Ted with all her heart, but he could be stubborn sometimes.

"Sure, buy her a baby gift if you want. Maybe we can even find her a stupid walrus!" Ted rolled his eyes, remembering the present Lou gave after the birth of their baby.

"Ted, Mary did more than give us a gift. She delivered our baby. Or maybe you forgot that, because you didn't even want to come in the room!"

"OK, so maybe I wasn't a perfect husband, but do you have to keep bringing that up?"

Georgette didn't want to answer that question. "If it weren't for Mary, we wouldn't have ever met. I just think the least we can do for her is be here for her." She slipped her hand into Ted's, but her tone made it clear the topic was no longer open for discussion.

They walked up to the nurse's station on the maternity ward. "Do you have any information on Mary Richards?" Ted rolled his eyes as he asked the question.

"Cronin," Georgette corrected. Ted still had not gotten used to the fact that Mary was now married. Even though they were never an item, he seemed bothered by the fact that Mary had fallen in love with a man who wasn't him.

The nurse looked up from her computer. "Are you family?"

"No, but we're good friends of hers," Georgette replied.

"I'm sorry, but the hospital has strict rules about patient privacy. We can't disclose information to anyone but immediate family."

"Oh." Georgette was disappointed, but rules were rules. "Come on, Ted." She took his hand, leading him to a nearby seat. "I'm sure Steven will come out when he has something to tell us."

Just then, Rhoda came running in. "I'm sorry I'm late, but I got here as fast as I could. Is Mary OK?"

Georgette smiled, glad to see her friend. "The nurse couldn't tell us anything. We're not family."

"We'll see about that," Rhoda said, immediately turning to the nurse. "Mary Richards is my oldest and dearest friend. My own mother practically wanted to adopt her. Trust me, we _are_ family."

"I'm sorry, but rules are rules," the nurse said. "I have to follow the hospital policy." She shrugged.

"I don't care what your hospital policy says. You go back there and ask Mary if she wants Rhoda Morgenstern in that delivery room. I guarantee you, she'll say yes." Rhoda's tone made it clear she wasn't taking 'no' for an answer.

The nurse walked away, obviously going to follow up on Rhoda's request. Rhoda turned to Ted and Georgette. "Everything's going to be OK. Mary's going to be thrilled you guys are here. I'll let you know as soon as anything happens."

Georgette could only smile gratefully at Rhoda. Sometimes, Rhoda's outspokenness could come in handy. Now all they had to do was wait until they could meet Mary's baby.


	2. Chapter 2

Mary was mid-contraction, but she breathed a sigh of relief when Rhoda came bursting into the delivery room. "Kid, I'm so sorry I was late! The nurse didn't want to let me in because I'm not family, but of course I wasn't going to let _that_ stop me. Did I miss anything?"

"Not yet," Steven said. "We're hoping any minute now. You can do this," he said, turning to his wife.

"Steven's right," Rhoda agreed, standing beside Mary. "If anybody can get through this, it'd be you. I'm just glad it's not me going through this! I'd probably have yelled at everyone in this hospital by now! At least this way, I'll know what it's like from seeing you."

Mary smiled, grateful the contraction had ended. "I thought it was bad helping Mr. Grant deliver Ted and Georgette's baby, but that's nothing compared to actually having one! I don't know how Georgette did it, especially without a doctor, or medical equipment, or..."

Just then, another pain hit. A loud scream erupted from her. It was a sound Rhoda had never thought she'd hear her friend make. "Kid, I probably don't say this as much as I should, but I think you're incredibly brave. I know I used to tease you, and say you didn't have a backbone. But looking at you now, I can hardly believe it."

The contraction subsided once again, and Mary smiled. She squeezed Rhoda's hand, grateful for what she'd said. Rhoda wasn't normally one to get emotional. "Thanks. I love you, too."

The doctor, who'd been watching in silence, spoke up. "That's a very touching moment. If you can push one more time, you'll have another person here to share in all this love."

For a moment, Mary was hesitant. She now understood why it was called "labor." But then she looked at Rhoda and Steven's faces, seeing how much they both loved her. Somehow, she felt that she could do this. "OK," she said, noticing how her voice was trembling. She pushed with everything she had. Just when she thought it was hopeless, she heard the most beautiful sound in the world: a baby's cry.

A moment later, the doctor held up the newborn. "It's a girl!"

No one knew what to say at first. But, as usual, Rhoda spoke up. "So, what are you going to name her?"

Mary and Steven looked at each other. They'd discussed names a bit in the past few months, but hadn't come to any final decision yet.

Rhoda was astonished. "You mean you guys haven't even thought about this?!"

Mary shrugged. "Everything happened so fast." She thought of many names, but still couldn't decide. Then she thought about how people often name their child in honor of someone. Of course she had friends who more than deserved such a gift. That made this choice much easier. "What do you think of Rose?"

Rhoda couldn't believe it. Mary was looking at her as she said it, not at Steven. "You're naming her that after me?"

"Yes," Mary said, without hesitating. "When you came into my apartment that day and ordered me out, I had no idea what I was in for. Who knows what would've happened to my life if you hadn't been there?"

For once in her life, Rhoda Morgenstern was speechless. She looked at Steven, checking to see if he was OK with Mary's choice of a name. He simply nodded.

Just then, the doctor came over, placing a small pink bundle into Mary's arms. "Hello, Rose," Mary whispered softly. She looked over at Steven, unable to believe this was real. Steven felt himself falling in love with his daughter at once.

Rhoda looked at the baby. She was perfect. "She's beautiful," Rhoda said. "But how could she not be, with your genes?"

Mary rolled her eyes. "Let's not start that."

"Nobody's ever named their kid after me before," Rhoda said. "Well, Bess was going to name a goldfish after me once, but of course, Phyllis wouldn't hear of it."

Mary knew that was Rhoda's way of saying she was touched. "You're welcome," she said, before returning her attention to the miracle in her arms.

Rhoda couldn't seem to stop staring at the infant, either. But, in the back of her mind, she knew she should tell Ted and Georgette the news. She gradually noticed that Mary and Steven didn't even seem to be aware that she was in the room. Taking that as a cue, Rhoda quietly slipped back out to the waiting area. The anchorman and his wife sat just where she'd left them a little while ago. "It happened," Rhoda said as she came up to them.

"She had the baby?" Georgette asked. "What is it?"

"A girl, a little girl," Rhoda said, still wondering when she'd wake up from this dream.

"Oh, I'll bet she's precious," Georgette said, thinking of the first time she saw Mary Lou. "Can we go see her?"

Rhoda nodded. "I'll take you back. They've picked a name, too. Rose."

"That's such a pretty name. And the flower is nice, too," Georgette said.

Ted rolled his eyes. "Rose? That's a stupid name. It's like a series of seats in a move theater."

Both Rhoda and Georgette ignored him, making their way back to Mary's room. Mary looked up when they came in. "Hi," she said shyly.

For a moment, Georgette was afraid to enter. But Mary urged the two to come closer. Cautiously, they walked toward the bed. "Oh, Mary," was all Georgette could say. "She's beautiful. Isn't she, Ted?"

Ted looked down at the baby. At first, he didn't see what was so special about her. He knew all babies looked more or less alike at first. But, then, amazingly, the baby smiled. That softened him. "Yes, she is," he agreed. "I'm sure you'll be a great mother, Mary."

"Thanks," Mary said. She knew Ted hadn't been happy about the fact that she was married, but she sensed that he was finally beginning to accept it. She couldn't believe how everyone around her was smiling, all because of the baby she was now holding. She looked at Steven, and saw he was in a similar state of disbelief. But she knew her feelings were about more than just Rose's birth. She had always known she wanted to be a wife and a mother. Sooner or later, she knew she would eventually reach that place in her life, and now she had. But the part she hadn't anticipated was the family she'd found along the way. She knew there would be no better way to raise her daughter than surrounded by these people. **  
**

 **The End**


End file.
